MICRO/NANO FABRICATION LABORATORY SAFETY

Safety Philosophy
The number one priority dealing with hazardous materials is understanding the combination of common sense and specific knowledge of the potential hazards, proper use of chemicals and instruments. It is very important you should know about the dangers of chemicals and instruments that you use.

Staff Responsibility

1. To train and educate users about the potential safety hazards and the proper response procedures in the lab.

2. Training safe operation and operating procedures for each instrument.

Users Responsibility

1. This laboratory supports various members from different discipline, therefore it is very important for each member to become familiar with cross contamination issues related to fabrication and processing.

2. Each user is responsible for the safety of others, anyone with irresponsible behavior related to safety may be denied access to the lab.

Laboratory Safety

1. Absolutely NO eating, gum chewing and drinking in the lab including Clean rooms, Soft Lithography, AFM and FESEM.

2. Due to cross contamination do not use cell phones, pagers or headsets while you are in the lab.

3. Use shoes that fully enclose the feet (No sandals or open toe shoes).

4. Wear slacks to protect your legs. No bare legs such as wearing shorts or dresses.

5. Clean room lab coat must be buttoned all the way from neck to bottom.

6. Wear face shield in addition to safety glasses when handling chemicals or working at chemical wet benches (fume hoods).

7. Always work in very a confined area rather than spreading your personal belonging all over the bench. Clean up after yourself and label all personal belongings with your name and professor.

8. This lab runs 24/7, therefore during nights, weekends and long holiday weekends make sure not to work alone in the lab. Always plan to work with another member in the lab.

Chemical Safety

1. All chemicals used in the lab are toxic and hazardous, therefore you must read and understand the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) before handling them. This helps to understand the hazards and appropriate precautionary safety measures. MSDS documents for chemicals can be found on the shelf in each lab. Also it can be obtained from www.hazard.com.

2. To bring in any new chemicals to use in the lab, you must provide the MSDS.

3. Use bottle safety carrier for transporting of chemical bottles.

4. Make sure chemical bottles capped and cleand after use.

5. Always use chemicals inside exhausted working wet benches (fume hoods).

6. Waste chemicals must be stored in the chemical waste bottles with appropriated chemicals.

Instruments Safety

1. Only use instruments that you have been trained and qualified on.

2. It is essential that you are always aware of potential hazards (such as High Voltage sources, Laser and UV exposure) from metal deposition systems, mask aligner, plasma etch, sputter system, ellipsometer and AFM.

Chemical Safety Information

1. The Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) provides information about chemical identification, composition and hazard data, first aid measures, fire fighting measures, storage and handling precautions. The MSDS of all chemicals used in the lab are located on the shelf.

2. To bring in any new chemicals to use in the lab, you must provide the MSDS.

3. Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) and Safety Precautions

4. Frist Aid for Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) Exposure

Hazard Classes of Chemicals

It is your responsibility as an experience user to read and understand the MSDS of chemicals such as:

1. Flammable: All organic solvents including acetone, methanol, ethyl alcohol, isopropanol, all negative or positive photoresists and developers.

2. Corrosive (hydrofluoric acid, buffered oxide etchants for example BOE, any pre mixed ammonium fluoride and hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid , nitric acid and acetic acid.

3. Reactive ( strong sulfuric acid, nitric acid and acetic acid)

4. Poison ( Zinc arsenide, gallium arsenide, indium phosphide and any other compound materials with arsenic or phosphide).

5. Oxidizer (sulfuric acid, nitric acid and acetic acid).

Chemical Storage

1. When storing the chemical bottle, make sure the bottle is capped properly to prevent vapors escaping from the bottle. Absolutely No Loose Cap Bottle stored.

2. Chemicals must be stored in the proper and dedicated storage. Acids in acids cabinets, bases in bases cabinet and solvents in solvents cabinet.

3. Personal chemical storage must be labeled with (chemicals name rather than formula, ratio, professor’s name, your name and phone number) on the bottle.

Using the Wet Benches (Fume Hood)

All the chemicals must be used inside the designated wet bench.

1. Make every effort to understand the chemical processes you use and how to manage it properly.

2. Always keep the open face chemicals with six inch from grove toward inside the wet bench.

3. Do not remove hot chemicals from hot plate. Let it cool, then remove or dispose it.

4. If your cleaning process inside the fume hood is taking longer time in your absence, make sure to use a small piece of clean room paper to write your name and phone number with starting and finishing times.

5. Do not leave chemicals unattended inside the hood.

6. Open beakers with chemicals must remain inside the fume hoods. Absolutley, Do Not remove out of the fume hood.

7. No personal chemical storage on the wet benches

Hydrofluoric Acid:

Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is considered extremely corrosive and toxic acid used in a variety of applications in m/n. Therefore special safety precautions are necessary when using this chemical. It is a solution of hydrogen fluoride in water, skin contact with HF or inhalation of its vapor has caused many serious injuries, even death. www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic804.htm

Safety Precautions for Hydrofluoric (HF) Use:

• Procedures using Hydrofluoric Acid must never be attempted by an untrained person.
• You must be familiar with the first Aid procedure
• Strongly advise never attempt to work alone in the Lab.
• MSDS: (material Safety Data Sheets on HF must be read and understood by user, you can obtain from w w w.hazard.com
• Eye protection: Safety goggles and face shield must to be used.
• Gloves: must be worn at all the time and make sure there are no holes on it.
• Body Protection: Clean room gown. No shorts or sandels.
• Chemical Fume Hoods: All chemicals must be used inside dedicated fume hood.
• Beakers: Use only Polyethylene or Teflon beakers for HF processing.
• Storage: Hydrofluoric acid and HF waste must be stored in containers compatible with
  HF such as Polyethylene or Teflon (Do Not Use Glass Container)
• All personal chemicals must be labeled (do not write formula), properly capped and
  stored.

Emergency Procedure for Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) Exposure

All exposures to Hydrofluoric acid require medical attention, if exposure is suspected, contact ext. 5000.

First Aid for Skin Contact

1. Immediately proceed to the nearest shower or eyewash and rinse the contacted skin area with copious quantities of water.

2. Remove all clothing exposed to HF while you are rinsing the effected area.

3. Continue rinsing the effected area for 15 minutes.

4. Do not dry the skin

5. Apply the Calcium Gluconate Gel with double gloved hand on the effected area gently, cover the entire area with gel.

6. Reapply Gel every 15 minutes until emergency medical assistance arrives.

First Aid for Eye Contact

1. Immediately proceed to the nearest shower or eyewash.

2. Thoroughly wash eyes with water for 15 minutes while holding the eyelids open.

3. Do not apply calcium Gluconate gel to eyes.